UBC Miami Missions Journal

June 20th, 2009.

Today was our second to last, full day in Haiti. The other 40 something people on our team will be leaving Monday morning. God has opened up my eyes to so many things on this trip. I truly wish that I could spend another month here.

Today we traveled to the mountains to a top tourist spot and a point which overlooked all of Haiti. Looking down on it, with the vast mountains in the background, the bayline in the distance and the huge ocean far away, I was blown away to realize that this was the country I had been working in, for the past six days. Gazing over the tiny clusters of jam-packed towns and cluttered houses connected my mind to the the picture of God looking down on his children from Heaven. I felt so blessed. Blessed beyond words... God looks down on his children, He sees Haiti, He cares about Haiti, just as He looks down upon the U.S. and other countries. And what a powerful experience to know that God has called ME here to be used and to be an assistant for his kingdom while doing the best job we can at influencing the lives of these children. I couldn't see the people, or the overpopulated towns, or the stick shacks that stand as "houses" with 10 people living in each room, but I DID know what they looked like and what their personas were. I remembered their smiles, the warmth of their hugs, and the love in their hearts. I saw God this week in these kids and in these people of Haiti. I saw God in the kids at the Bible school that don't have parents yet trample you with hugs and kisses the second you walk in the door because they've been waiting for you for an hour--probably even anticipating your arrival the whole day. Or the joyful screams you hear which echo the empty, open, unfinished and unpainted building before even pulling up to it. I saw God in the faces of the kids in the remote place of Galet Chambon, a small rural village. I saw God when I worked on medical team and smiled at a girl standing in line to be "assessed" only to find out that she had worms, a fever, a sore throat, anemia, and a cough.

These children are God's children. They've showed me that God's love is a love which keeps people alive and brings them hope--no matter their circumstance.

Alexis Fernandez